


Like An Angel

by AngieOwlie



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Brothers, Gen, Griffin is the best onii-chan, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 21:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngieOwlie/pseuds/AngieOwlie
Summary: After learning he's to become a big brother, young Griffin is overjoyed and begins daydreaming about what the baby will be like. One thing's for sure, he's definitely excited to finally have someone to read storybooks with.prequel toBefore the Last Stroke of Midnight





	Like An Angel

“Dear, there’s something your father and I would like to tell you.”  
  
A little boy with floppy brown hair looked up from the book in his lap. “Yes, mother?”  
  
She placed a hand on her tummy. Beside her sat a man who had one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. “Griffin,” she smiled, “you’re going to be a big brother!”  
  
The boy blinked. “I’m...going to be a...brother?” His eyes widened as a big smile slowly spread on his face. “I’m going to be a brother!”  
  
“Which means,” the man said gruffly, “your mother needs to rest often and take good care of her body, so you’ll need to help around the house more.”  
  
“Oh Jim, I’m sure Griffin understands.”  
  
“For the sake of the baby and your health, Jennifer, I’m sure he will.”  
  
The boy called Griffin nodded. “Yes, father. Yes, mother.” And then quietly, “May I...touch your tummy, mother?”  
  
She beamed. “Of course, dear.”  
  
He stood up from the chair; the book dropped to the floor, already forgotten. Griffin went up to where his mother was resting on the couch, and gently touched her tummy. She laid a hand over his. “This is where your baby brother or sister is living, and it’ll be their home for nine months.”  
  
Griffin gazed in fascination, and wondered what the baby would think of having him for a brother. He wiggled excitedly. Oh, how he couldn’t wait to meet him (or her)!  
  


* * *

  
During the first month, Griffin didn’t really see any changes in his mother. Her tummy remained flat and she was energetic as ever, singing cheerful little tunes as she bustled around setting up baby clothes and milk bottles.  
  
A few months after that, Griffin began noticing a sort of tiredness in her. Cooking and cleaning wore her out, and she seemed to do things slower. _It’s probably because the baby is growing inside of mother_ , he thought, _so her tummy is getting bigger and heavier to carry around._ Still, he did his best to help out so that she could rest more often. “The baby is lucky to have such a kind big brother like you,” she would say. And Griffin would pause in the middle of sweeping, and look down shyly.  
  
With each passing day, the baby’s arrival grew closer and closer, and with that, his mother grew more and more tired.  
  
His father, on the other hand, became anxious with worry and would often shout at Griffin. “Close the window! Do you want your mother catching a cold?” “Pick up your books! What would happen if she tripped over them?” And Griffin would always reply in the same calm voice, “Yes, father.”  
  
But most of all, when he wasn’t doing any chores or being ordered around by his father, Griffin spent his days wondering what the baby would be like. _Would he have the same colour of hair as me? The same love for playing catch? Or maybe..._ his eyes lit up, _maybe he would enjoy reading books as much as I do!_ In all his ten years, Griffin had never felt such excitement. In fact, he was so excited about meeting the new baby that the thought alone kept him up at night, where he laid wide awake in bed thinking about all the things the two of them would get to do together. He had recently started taking an interest in writing poems, so perhaps he could write one about the new baby! Thoughts like these would float through his mind until, at last, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.  
  


* * *

  
One summer evening, just as Griffin kissed his mother goodnight, she suddenly dropped to her knees, a hand on her tummy.  
  
“Mother!” He leaped out of bed. “A-are you alright?”  
  
Her eyes were closed, her breathing ragged. “Griffin...please...g-get your father...”  
  
“Wh-what’s happening?”  
  
She managed to open one eye and smile weakly. “...b-baby...” Then she gasped sharply, pain taking hold of her body.  
  
“...the baby...is coming...”  
  


*     *     *     *     *

  
As soon as Griffin told his father what happened, his father immediately rushed out the house to fetch his sister, who lived a few houses away, but not before shouting for Griffin to lay his mother down on her bed.  
  
By the time they returned, Griffin was already frantic with worry. His mother’s breathing came out in laboured breaths, and her forehead beaded with sweat. He held her limp hands in his own trembling ones. His father and aunt hurried into the room, but not before shooing Griffin outside and shutting the door with a loud _BANG!_  
  
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes stretched into hours... Griffin distracted himself with books, but the words blurred together as cries of pain filled his ears.  
  


*     *     *     *     *

  
“...ffin...Griffin...wake up...”  
  
Ever so slowly, Griffin opened his eyes. A hand stopped shaking his shoulder.  
  
“Come, boy.”  
  
Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up from where he was huddling in the hallway and followed his father into the bedroom.  
  
Golden rays of dawn peeked through the curtains, filling the room with light and warmth. His aunt sat on a chair beside the bed, and on the bed was his mother, a small bundle in her arms. Seeing him approach, she smiled, exhaustion still in her eyes. “Griffin, look...”  
  
He peered over the bundle. There, sleeping peacefully, was a little baby boy. His soft hair reflected the sunlight, making it glow like a halo. For a moment, Griffin thought he was looking at an angel. “What’s his name?” He looked up eagerly at his mother.  
  
“His name,” she said gently, and for as long as he shall live, Griffin would never forget the first time he heard those words, “...is Aslan Jade Callenreese.”  
  
“Aslan...” Returning to the bundle, he thought Aslan’s chubby face looked squishy and adorable. He poked a cheek. Aslan stirred, then wrapped a tiny hand around Griffin’s finger...and went back to sleep.  
  
Somehow, the warmth from Aslan’s tiny fingers spread through Griffin. It travelled all the way up...up...and straight into his heart. He sighed, a smile on his face. _I can’t believe I’m a big brother! Now I have someone to read storybooks with! And when Aslan grows up a bit, we can play in the meadow too!_ Leaning in, he pressed his lips gently against Aslan’s forehead.  
  
And when Aslan smiled—for he must’ve been having a wonderful dream—his chubby little face, framed by locks of golden hair, seemed to reflect the very image of hope, and light, and purity...and all things good in the world.  
  
Just like an angel.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this little prequel! I've always wondered how Griffin took the news upon learning he's an expectant brother, and so this is what I think he might've felt knowing he was going to have a younger sibling!＾＾
> 
> on a side note...
> 
> I've started outlining the next Banana Fish fairy tale AU! This next one will be based on a certain house made entirely out of candy (〃▽〃) I'm aiming to upload chapter 1 sometime next week so...hope you guys will look forward to it, heehee///
> 
> And as always, thank you for reading! (・ω・)ノ
> 
> [ instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/angieowlie) and [ twitterrr](https://twitter.com/angieowlieotaku)


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